Don't Feed the Greed Guy

The most remarkable statistical comparison between the Dome and Target Field? How about this: Dome: 55,300 capacity, 448 bathrooms (256 women) TF: 39,504 capacity, 667 bathrooms (401 women)

crickets...

That stop sign was late. Would Dick call Ullger out for that? No, blame the kid.

When are the Sept. call ups eligible/in the dugout?

strike one!

One last run at this: 2013: Number of starting pitchers with ten or more wins = 0 2014: Number of starting pitchers with ten or more wins = 2 Given the topic, that's a "quietly solid" sign of a reemerging starting rotation, with Hughes and Gibson at the top of that recovery. Sure, the team will need pitchers who can miss bats, stay durable and pitch 200+ innings, and have lineups that can hit behind them. But at the end of the day, pitchers are credited with victories and losses in the box score. No other player receives a "W" or an "L" by his stat line. There's a basic, logical reason for this--good pitching wins ballgames...most of the time. Seth's lead points out that "another 90 loss season is within reach." Yep, especially when Correia, Nolasco, and Fien follow Hughes and Gibson on the 2014 win chart with five victories each. We won't see the Twins post a winning record until five or six pitchers register 10+ victories--no matter what their other peripheral numbers might be. As winning pitchers, Hughes and Gibson have the Twins on the right track.

This winter several teams can warm themselves by burning piles of statistical readouts that measure WAR, K/9, etc... All the same, one team will "win" the World Series by combining pitching (the focus of this article), defense, and hitting in a formula that generates more wins than losses. At the end of the day, you have to win the game.

At the end of the day, the "W" is still the most telling statistic for starting pitchers. Here's a quick glimpse back to 2013's won-loss totals: Correia 9-13 Pelfery 5-13 Diamond 6-13 Deduno 8-8 Hernandez 3-3 (12 GS; Albers, Gibson, Worley & Hendricks = 38 GS for a combined: 6-17) Hughes (12-8) and Gibson (11-9) have seven or eight starts left in 2014. Both should finish the season with winning records--AND--could realistically total fifteen to eighteen victories. That will be a dramatic improvement over 2013. Now, if three or four other starters (Milone, Nolasco, Pelfery, May, Meyer, etc...) can break even in 2015, with 9-11, 13-10, 12-12-type records, that would lay the foundation for an 85-77 season in 2015. Sound realistic? Too optimistic?

Textbook baseball. Hit and run.

No mention of Andy MacPhail... Hmm... That means he could still be a candidate for Terry Ryan's post if TR should step back.

Last night's game is why I am a fan, and like to watch baseball, or at least tune in on the radio while futzing around the house. Jordan Shafer gets a single in his first at-bat as a Twin, and in a flash, he's standing on second base. Bad jump, but lightning speed made the difference. Phil Hughes pitches a tidy game, giving way to Kennys Vargas' power. Good pitching, timely hitting. Good baseball. Others have said (Seth?) that the Twins are a better team now, than they were at the trading deadline. That should continue with the return of Mauer and Nolasco. I certainly don't expect a return to contention this year, but stranger things have happened. What's most enjoyable is watching a team come together. Add May, Meyer, and Milone, and we will definitely have something to watch over the next two months.

I like the move, for many of the reasons mentioned above: 1) Shafer could click... at the very least he's an excellent pinch run option. 2) I'd rather see our elite CF prospects play every day in the high minors until they are ready. Hicks should get one more shot on Opening Day, 2015. If he doesn't make it, Shafer & Santana can still hold down CF until Buxton's train reaches Target Field Station. 3) Santana gets more starts at SS building chemistry with Dozier and the rest of the infield, so they can be a MLB-ready middle infield by Opening Day, 2015. 4) The Fuld pickup/parlay for Milone built some of my trust in Terry Ryan's "buy low" capacity, at least until Jason Bartlett calls TR and volunteers to come back... 5) Shafer gets one more shot--August, September, and Spring Training 2015--that seems like a reasonable gamble, given the current status of the Twins outfield.

I really like your projected lineup, with the exception of Pinto's call-up. I want to see him catch every day through the Fall leagues and winter ball. Next spring he and Vargas can rotate as the Designated Hitter, with Vargas at first when Pinto DH's, and Pinto catching when Vargas is the DH.. Correia can move to the bullpen. I also like the six-man rotation, but I don't think it will happen. Hopefully we can still get something for Burton, Correia, and the Hammer. I value two months of prospects' MLB playing time more highly than what we might get for all three.

Download attachment: jul08_chief_benders_250.jpg Before there was a Winfield, a Molitor, or a Mauer, there was a Bender. Charles Albert "Chief" Bender was born in Crow Wing County on May 5th, 1884. He bounced between his home on the White Earth Reservation, and various boarding schools. At a teenager, Bender was recruited by the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle Pennsylvania, the first of many off-reservation boarding schools. Carlisle is perhaps most known for it's resident coach, Pop Warner, and his star player, Jim Thorpe. Bender attended Dickinson College, also in Carlisle, before turning pro. He pitched for Connie Mack's Philadephia Athletics from 1903 to 1917. Bender pitched during an era of entrenched prejudice, and open racism. The definitive biography, that chronicles Bender's early years and his big break, was written by Tom Swift. It is aptly titled, Chief Bender's BurdenThe Silent Struggle of a Baseball Star: Chief Bender's Burden - University of Nebraska Press Swift has a wonderful short biography on Charles "Chief" Bender on the SABR website: Chief Bender | SABR A nugget from Swift's bio: "Bender is known foremost for a rare ability to pitch under pressure. 'If I had all the men I’ve ever handled, and they were in their prime, and there was one game I wanted to win above all others,' said Philadelphia Athletics icon Connie Mack, who managed fellow all-time pitching greats Lefty Grove, Herb Pennock, Eddie Plank, and Rube Waddell, 'Albert would be my man.'" Albert Bender is also credited by some as inventing the slider. He won 212 games over his Hall of Fame career. Again, from Swift's biography: "Bender’s life partner was Marie (Clement) Bender, whom he married in 1904. The couple’s marriage, which lasted nearly 50 years, did not produce any children. In 1953, Bender became the first Minnesota-born player enshrined in the Hall of Fame, and he remained the only one until Dave Winfield joined him in 2001. On May 22, 1954, the year following the vote, Bender died, a few weeks shy of his 71st birthday and a few weeks before his induction ceremony." Click here to view the article

We purchased tickets to Friday night's Twins Fest as a way to celebrate my Dad's 83rd birthday. Grandpa was accompanied by his two grandsons, ages 10 and 8, my wife and I. We parked in Lot B, and had only a short walk to Gate 6, where a host of ticket-takers greeted us as if we were walking up to a game. Once inside the gates, we peered out onto a snow-covered Target Field. Download attachment: snowy park.jpg It was quite a contrast to the green grass of Opening Day, and the warmth of a mid-summer matinee game. Minnie and Paul were still smiling, as they remained in each other's grip, while snowflakes fell around them. Download attachment: snowy minnie and paul.jpg The snow had been coming down for several hours. We drove through the white stuff all the way from Brainerd to the ballpark. That delayed our arrival by about an hour, which influenced our experience. There was no time to split up and gather Joe Mauer's autograph, our youngest son's hero. Instead we went directly to Rod Carew's signing station, located on the Service Level (-2). Here are some of my criticisms of the event. First, many fans are not used to navigating Target Field by the elevators, which were almost the exclusive way to move from the enclosed levels. During the season, I don't spend much time on the Service (-2), Club (2) and Suite (3) Levels. During the summertime, I'm outside, and these levels are either off limits, or too pricy for my blood. The second criticism was the Twins Fest brochure, and it's not-so-user-friendly locations. The first location was on the website. Here is the link to the Twins Fest page. If you bother to click on the page, try to find the brochure. It is located at the bottom of two alternating pictures. I should say, one of two alternating pictures, so half the time the link to the schedule is not visible. I tried to print out the map/schedule/brochure, but the ads and the big pictures dwarfed the type on a letter-sized document (my home printer does not load legal sized pages.) The type was too small and unreadable. So, we pre-planned our first two visits--to split up and find Mauer and Carew, and then meet up later to hatch our secondary options. The second problem was that the maps/brochures/schedules were not located at Gate 6, or just inside the door as we entered the Club Level. We asked a security guard if we cold look at his copy, just to find out where we were, and where Mauer and Carew's respective signing stations were located. He graciously offered us his copy of the brochure/map. Later, we would find scads of these handouts at the elevator entrances, and on various tables. They should have been at the point of entry, and more accessible at home. My wife forgot her Trevor Plouffe jersey in the car. So she went back for it, and we revised our plan of attack, Grandpa, the two boys and I set out for Carew's signing station. This is when we had our first stroke of luck. A delightful young lady approached us, wondering if we wanted to play Fan Feud, as part of the "Dozier Family." We were delighted to say "yes!" She handed us a ticket, with instructions to be at the Fox Sports North Stage in the Champions Club at 5:20 p.m. There was enough time to catch Carew, so we beat cheeks over to his signing station. Dad is a retired preacher, and he sat on stage with #28 back in 1968, the year after Carew's rookie season. The event was a Park Rapids Jaycees Banquet, and Carew was the guest speaker. Dad was asked to give the Invocation and Table Prayer. As they were seated next to each other, Carew leaned over and said to Dad, "You know Reverend, our jobs aren't really that different." To which Dad replied, "Oh? How is that?" Carew: "Well, we both have to pass the plate." Forty-five years later, Dad recalled the story with Carew over the signing table. He retold the joke, and paused so that Rodney Cline could deliver the punch-line, to which they both laughed like the material was still fresh! It was a delightful moment. Download attachment: Carew signing.jpg By the way, Carew also signed two baseball cards from my treasured possessions. Someday my boys will each receive one. Download attachment: carew cards.jpg My ten-year-old son is a big Dozier fan. They have the same May 15th birthday, and both play second base. So it was off to The Champions Club to meet our Plouffe Fan and keep our appointment with Richard Dawson/Kris Atteberry, Dozier, and our competition--Team Diamond, anchored by Scott Diamond, and members of Kyle Knudson's extended family. We played three rounds of "The Feud" with three questions: "Name the Most Recognizable Twins Player" "What do Twins players do after a game?" "Which team do you like to see the Twins beat?" Long story short: We won! But perhaps the best moment was in responding to question #1. We were down to our last answer with two strikes, and our eight-year-old was staring into the microphone as Kris Atteberry said, "Only one answer left. To win the round, what is your answer?" Grandpa and I are whispering "Dan Gladden, Dan Gladden!" The boy ignores his elders and says into the microphone, "Justin Morneau" matching the last answer on the board! Team Dozier wins, and we all got cool t-shirts, that our new favorite second-baseman signed (that is, next to Carew, who really turned out to be a first basemen, so that doesn't count, does it?) Download attachment: Twins Fest.jpg We spent the remainder of the evening operating out of a "home base" around the K-Twins Stage. It gave Grandpa a good place to rest his feet while we chased Miguel Sano's autograph, failed to get that Plouffe jersey signed, toured the Twins Clubhouse, and took in a number of other sights not available during a ballgame. I just about bought Jack Morris a beer before he went on stage with Corey Provus. Download attachment: morris and provost 2.jpg Perhaps one of the real advantages to the Target Field setting were such up-close encounters with players and personalities like Morris. We routinely walked past legends past and present throughout the hallways. Riding the elevator with Tony Oliva, walking the hallways with Dan Gladden, passing Gardy, greeting Dick Bremer at the door, and on and on. Dozier bumped into his little birthday buddy once more in the hallways, and enthusiastically greeting him with a high five. In conclusion, it was a good event, a good venue, and I hope the planners keep it relatively small next year. There need to be some logistical tweaks, and perhaps a little less restrictive on autographs. The fees are high, and I suppose this helps to discourage the memorabilia hounds, but for the average family those prices can get steep. All the same... the Twins Community Fund. The fund was instrumental in building our local baseball/softball fields, so it is a good cause that directly benefits our boys. Keep Twins Fest at Target Field. We enjoyed the experience, especially seeing such treasures as this one, below. Here's to Spring, 2014, and the chance for a third trophy... C'mon, at this time of year, Hope Springs Eternal! Download attachment: World Series Trophy.jpg Click here to view the article

Rod Carew played his last official minor league game in 1966 for the Wilson Tobs, in the Class A Carolina League. On April 11, 1967, Carew made his debut with the Twins. That is a jump--in terms of playing baseball games--from A ball to the majors.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=carew-001rod Click on the link. Apparently LEN and the Strib are wrong.

And Rod Carew

Colabello is hitting .324 over the last ten games in AAA. Send down Arcia, and bring C.C. up one last time and see if he can ride a hot streak into the All Star break. If not, Arcia or Hicks can come up later in July, and we can put away the cowbells.

I'd prefer more Cowbell--one last time--before putting CC to bed. Colabello is hitting .324 over the last ten games. The big Italian is brutal in the outfield--but Arcia isn't much better. Moreover, Colabello is a streaky hitter. If the Twins can ride an upswing in Colabello's bat between now and the All Star break, it might mean another RBI juggernaut. If he washes out, there's time to bring back Hicks later in July.

I switched to the Target off-brand of shampoo--same product for half the price. Rumor has it that Target has an endorsement deal lined up with Eric Hosmer.

Thanks for chasing a dream, and walking away at the right time. As one reader who can only imagine what it's like to play baseball at such a high level, I thank you for telling me what it's like. I thank you for visiting with my boys among the mosquitoes outside the Rock Cats' clubhouse door, long after most of your teammates had left for the night. Two of my dear friends played minor league ball. One went on to invent a breakfast cereal that feeds America's kids every morning. Another has made a career of turning floundering Boys & Girls Clubs into difference makers in low income, multicultural communities. He's a troubleshooter, who applies the hard work he learned on a baseball diamond, everyday. AJ, I will look forward to seeing where God takes you. Keep writing. Tell your story. May your great gifts meet the world's great need. (paraphrase from Fredrick Buechner).

Ichiro Suzuki? Well, it's better than "More Cowbell."

Parmelee! Parmelee!! (Sounds like Hercules!)

Atta boy, Santana!